Southampton fans may remember a 9-0 defeat that occurred almost a year ago today.
But while the whole club has been transformed since that record-setting night against a rampant Leicester City, one player in particular has come on leaps and bounds.
Jannik Vestergaard’s Saints career looked over when he was hauled off at half-time during the most humiliating night in the club’s Premier League history.
But, 12 months on, it felt fitting that it was he who opened the scoring during a 4-3 victory over Aston Villa that lifted the South Coast club into the Champions League places.
Vestergaard was linked with moves to West Ham United (Mail, 24 September, page 71) and Leicester City (Ekstra Bladet) over the summer but rejected all offers in order to rebuild his reputation at St Mary’s.
And the Dane is certainly on the right track to achieving just that.
It was he who ended Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s hot streak during last week’s 2-0 triumph over Everton and, although Aston Villa pulled three goals back on Sunday, that should not distract from another colossal performance from the league’s most improved central defender.
Vestergaard not only made a game-high eight clearances against Villa while breaking the lines with some piercing passes, he also put his 6ft 6ins frame to good use at the other end, heading home a James Ward-Prowse corner to open the scoring in the Midlands.
Finally, Southampton’s £18 million defender looks like an £18 million defender.
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